Commonwealth Conversations: Engage!

Haiti Community Meetings & Temporary Status Applications

Posted by:
Samantha Shusterman, Chief of Staff, Office for Refugees and Immigrants

Hi, I'm Sam Shusterman, Chief of Staff for the Office for Refugees and Immigrants (ORI). Our office, in partnership with other state and federal agencies, municipalities, community organizations and faith based organizations, is making every effort to communicate important information to the public about available resources and services.

As part of this effort, here is some information on community meetings and the Temporary Protected Status Application process. If you know of any other community meetings or clinics happening in your area, please include them in the comments.

Community Meetings:

~ The Malden Haitian relief community: Thursday, January 21, 2010, at the Malden Senior Center, 7 Washington Street, Malden from 6 to 8 PM.

~ The Brockton Assembly of God will hold a service on Friday, January 22nd at 199 Warren Avenue from 6-8pm.

~ The City of Worcester: Friday the 22nd of January from 5-8pm at Union Station - Worcester.

~ The Greater Boston Interfaith Organization will hold a service at the Jubilee church on Sunday, January 24th at 5pm.

~ Everett Community Meeting - Thursday, January 28, 2010 from 6-8pm - Everett Armory, 90 Chelsea Street

~ Lawrence for Haiti Luncheon - Sunday, January 31, 2010 from 12:30pm-3pm - El Cesar restaurant, 99 Essex St.

Temporary Protected Status Clinics/Information Sessions:

~ Greater Boston Legal Services is hosting a Temporary Protected Status clinic Thursday, January 21st  from 6 - 8 PM @ 197 Friends Street. Please see attached flyer and spread the word.

~ Friday, January 22 and Saturday, January 23 from 10:00 to 5:00 at the Haitian Multi Service Center on Colombia Road in Dorchester there will be a free TPS application clinic sponsored by Catholic Charities. Catholic Charities has also set up a hotline for individuals seeking more information about the clinic - the phone number is 617 464 8004.

~ LIRS is offering, a free webinar on Friday, January 22 to learn how to help clients to file for TPS

City of Boston Resources

The City of Boston also has a resource center to assist affected local families.  More information can be found at www.cityofboston.gov/haiti

Haiti Earthquake Resources and Opportunities to Help

Governor Patrick and his administration have been working with the federal government and our local partners to determine what we can do to assist our vibrant Haitian community during this very tragic time. The federal government is working to identify the specific needs that exist in Haiti right now and cautioned against uncoordinated individual state-led responses.

USAID has been named the lead organization in coordinating disaster relief efforts and the American Red Cross is currently in Haiti doing a needs-assessment. They will be back in touch with us on how we can best assist in the relief efforts.

The federal priorities on the ground right now are currently search and rescue, medical assistance, care for the injured, water, sanitation and shelter.  The state has established an emergency operations center at MEMA (Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency) headquarters where state, local and community-based organizations are coordinating efforts.  MEMA is giving regular updates about the situation on Twitter (www.twitter.com/MassEMA).

If you have questions or need help:

• Mass211 is available for residents to call with any questions they may have.

• Those trying to reach U.S. residents living or traveling in Haiti can contact the U.S. State Department’s Office of Oversees Citizen Services toll-free at 888-407-4747 (this line is experiencing a high volume of calls at this time, so please be patient).

• The Red Cross has also established a website where people looking to find out about family or friends in Haiti can submit information to personnel on the ground in Haiti at www.icrc.org/familylinks

If you want to help:

• Cash donations are the most efficient and effective way to help the relief effort in Haiti right now. To donate, visit the American Red Cross’ website at www.redcross.org.  You can also text "HAITI" to "90999" and a donation of $10 will be given to the Red Cross relief efforts

• Those looking to donate time or supplies should contact the Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI) at 703-276-1914, or visit them online at www.cidi.org